ENERGY STORAGE

IN UTILITY
SYSTEMS
Hands-On Relay School 2019
Steve Larson
Snohomish County Public Utility District
 ENERGY & POWER MEASUREMENT
Energy measurement
 1 Joule = Energy applied by a force of one newton through a distance of one meter
 Joule is energy needed to lift one kilogram about 10 cm
 Joule = one watt-second, a kWhr=3,600,000 Joules
 AA Battery (alkaline) stores about 104 Joules, auto battery about 2*106 Joules
 Large systems measured in MW-hr, which is 3.6*109 Joules
Power measurement
 1 Watt = 1 Joule/second, 1 kW = 103 , 1 MW = 106 watts
 DC power, P=V*I, AC systems P = 3 *V * I * pf
Energy is Power * Time, Integral of power on a time plot
 Energy Storage – Charge 1000 kW-hr & Discharge 800 kW-hr
250

200

150
Discharging Discharging
100 ramp-up ramp-down

50

0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
-50

-100
Charging
-150 ramp-down
Charging
-200 ramp-up

-250
kW Charge kw Discharge
 Slow Charge of 1200 kW-hr – Fast Discharge of 1000 kW-hr
600

500

400

300

200

100

0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

-100

-200
kW Charge kw Discharge
 VALUE OF ENERGY STORAGE
Energy storage allows generation of
power to occur at a different time than
the energy usage.
Energy storage converts off-peak energy
to on-peak energy, which increases value
of the off-peak power production.
Energy storage is important when
generation is intermittent. By adding
flexibility to dispatch, renewable sources
can offer day-ahead guaranteed contracts
to utilities, increasing profitability.
Energy storage can provide improved
frequency control and power quality for
renewables.
ENERGY STORAGE DEPLOYMENT IN U.S.A.
 MAP OF ENERGY STORAGE PROJECTS
IN U.S.A. & CANADA

Red pin = 1 project

Blue circle = 2-10 projects
Yellow circle = 10-99 projects
Red circle (LA) = >100 projects

Source – USA DOE,

Global Energy
Storage Database
 ELECTRIC ENERGY STORAGE OPTIONS
Pumped Hydro – Elevation difference in a body of water creates
stored energy
Battery Energy Storage
Energy converted from electrical to chemical during charging, and from
chemical to electrical during discharging
State of charge determined by the battery voltage
Other types of Energy Storage
Compressed Air (CAES) – Large vessel stores compressed air, then a
turbine generates power when air is released.
Hydrogen energy storage – Hydrogen produced through electrolysis,
then re-electrified in fuel cells.
Flywheel – Kinetic energy stored in a rotating mass.
Thermal storage – Electrical energy drives a heat pump which pumps
heat from the cold reservoir to the hot reservoir to store, then the heat
pump is reversed to recover energy.
ENERGY STORAGE OPTIONS GRAPH, 2008
Pumped Storage Hydro Dominated Market in
2015

Source: Navigant Research (Dehamna, Eller & Embury, 2014) for

installed battery capacity by type, and GlobalData (2015) for the
Total Global MW installed as of 2014
pumped-storage hydroelectricity capacity.
PUMPED HYDRO ENERGY STORAGE (PHES)

Generating mode, Storage mode,

Water flows downhill Water pumped
uphill

Generator / Motor
 ELEVATION Δ CREATES STORED ENERGY
Two water reservoirs are necessary, one at a
higher elevation than the other.
In the storage mode, water is pumped from the
lower to the upper reservoir.
In the generation mode, water flows from the
upper through a turbine at the lower reservoir.
Reversible pump-turbine/motor-generator
assemblies can act as both pumps and turbines.
Difference in potential energy is Mass * g *
Height.
Round-trip efficiency would be in the range of
80%.
Over 100 GW of PHES installed world-wide.
 EXAMPLE OF P.H.E.S. ENERGY CALCULATION
One cubic meter of water weighs 1000 kg, or
about 2,200 lbs.
Put this in a tower 100 meters above the ground.
Potential for energy generation is
 M*g*H
 1000*9.8*100 = 980,000 Joules
 Same as 0.272 kWhrs
 Not very much!!
P.H.E.S. requires either lots of water or big
elevation difference
Nearly all PHES systems installed are open-loop
with reservoir at higher elevation.
 JOHN W. KEYS PUMPING PLANT, ELECTRIC CITY, WA

Six pumps for irrigation, and

Transfers water from Lake
six turbine-pumps to transfer
Roosevelt, elevation 1290’
water between two lakes.
to Banks Lake elevation 1571’.
Generation capacity is 314 MW.
 LOCATION OF P.H.E.S. IN U.S.A.
Approx 25,000 MW in USA, six largest (by
MW) are:
 Bath County – 2100 MW
 Ludington – 1872 MW
 Racoon Mtn - 1530 MW
 Castaic – 1440 MW
 Helms – 1053 MW
 Beinheim – 1000 MW
First installed in CT, in 1929. Last installed in
1995 in GA.
In 1980’s & 1990’s, PHES deployment in USA
slowed to a halt, as a result of restrictions on
land and water use.
Best sites in USA have already been taken.
Permitting new sites can be cost-prohibitive.
In January 2019, FERC issued EIS for the
proposed 393 MW Swan Lake PHES in 38 facilities can store about 2% of the
Klamath County, OR. MWhr generated in the USA.
HISTORICAL GROWTH OF P.H.E.S.

PHES in United
States and Europe has
not grown much
since 1994,
while more
PHES has been
added in China
and India.
COMPRESSED AIR ENERGY STORAGE (C.A.E.S.)
 C.A.E.S. PRINCIPLE
1. Energy is drawn from the
electric system to compress air
into an underground cavern, or
an above-ground storage tank.
2. The compressed air is released
and drives a turbine connected
to a generator.
Compressing air heats it and expanding it
cools it. Therefore, practical air engines
require heat exchangers in order to avoid
excessively high or low temperatures and
even so don't reach ideal constant
temperature conditions, or ideal thermal
insulation.
Achieving high efficiency is a technical
challenge both due to heat loss to the
ambient and to unrecoverable internal gas
heat. Efficiency is about 42% if waste heat
not recovered, 55% with recovery.
Only 2 CAES constructed, one in Germany
& one in Alabama.
Theoretical efficiency of about 70% could
be achieved if compression heat is
recovered and used to re-heat compressed
air during turbine operations.
Liquified Air Energy Storage - Pilsworth
Under construction at Pilsworth landfill
gas site near Manchester, UK.
System rating is 5 MW, 15 MW-hr.
Uses excess electricity to cool ambient
air down to -196°C (-320°F), where the
gases in the air become liquid.
Liquid is stored in an insulated, low-
pressure container.
During peak periods, the liquid air is
released back to high pressure,
warmed up via a heat exchanger, and
Above: LAES system at returns to gaseous state.
Pilsworth.
The hot gas can then be used to drive a
Left: Pilot system turbine and produce electricity.
installed west of London.
FLYWHEEL ENERGY STORAGE
Flywheel energy storage systems (FESS)
use the energy stored in a rotating mass
connected to a motor-generator set.
The energy stored is proportional to
square of the rotational velocity, so high
RPM’s are used.
Low-speed flywheels are made of steel
and rotate up to 10,000 RPM. Advanced
FESS can operate as high as 100,000
RPM.
FESS are best for high power, short
duration applications that require many
cycles.
 OPERATING F.E.S.S. SYSTEMS
 Beacon Power opened a 20 MW, 15 minute (5 MWhr) flywheel energy storage plant in Stephentown, New York in 2011 using 200
flywheels. Beacon installed a similar 20 MW system at Hazle Township, Pennsylvania in 2014. The units operate at a peak speed
at 15,000 rpm. The rotor flywheel consists of wound CFRP fibers which are filled with resin. The installation is intended primarily
for frequency control.
 A 2 MW, 15 min (0.5 MWhr) flywheel storage facility in Minto, Ontario, Canada opened in 2014. The flywheel system developed
by NRStor uses 10 spinning steel flywheels on magnetic bearings.
 Beacon Power began testing of their Smart Energy 25 flywheel energy storage system at a wind farm in Tehachapi, California.
 Stadtwerke München (SWM, Munich, Germany) uses a flywheel storage power system to stabilize the power grid, as well as
control energy and to compensate for deviations from renewable energy sources. The plant originates from the Jülich Stornetic
GmbH. The system consists of 28 flywheels and has a capacity of 0.1 MWh and a power output of 0.6 MW.
 In Ontario, Canada, Temporal Power Ltd. has operated a flywheel storage power plant since 2014. The maximum power is 2 MW.
The system is used for frequency regulation.
 On the island of Aruba, a 5MW flywheel energy storage power plant was constructed by Temporal Power Ltd.
 The city of Fresno, California is running flywheel storage power plants built by Amber Kinetics to store solar energy.
 Chugach Electric (Alaska) plans to install two Beacon 100 kW flywheels, paired with a 1000 kW-hr battery system.
 FLYWHEEL STORAGE DEVICE ACCIDENT, 2015

The flywheel at Quantum Energy Storage facility

in Poway, California failed in 2015, causing major damage.
Four people were injured, and the 14,000 sq ft building was
declared “structurally unsound”. Quantum was fined $58,000
by Cal OSHA.
 BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE
Battery Energy Storage
Energy converted from electrical to chemical during charging, and from chemical to
electrical during discharging
State of charge determined by the battery voltage
Batteries are fastest-growing type of energy storage because they are scalable, flexible,
and easily deployed.
Battery Types
Lead-acid – best for standby power only, lead-acid batteries degrade through multiple
charge-discharge cycles.
Ni-Cad – better at charge-discharge than lead-acid, but batteries degrade.
Lithium-ion – more expensive, but good for many charge-discharge cycles and efficient.
Best for short-duration applications.
Sodium-sulfur – Fair efficiency, about a 15-year life, best for high capacity installations.
Vanadium flow – new technology, great for long-duration applications with frequent
charge-discharge, about 70% efficient.
Ultra-capacitor – most often used with batteries when a high discharge rate is needed.
 SnoPUD BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE
MESA-1 at Hardeson, Lithium-ion batteries
AC Voltage 3Φ, 480 volt ungrounded
DC Voltage 700 (discharged) to 1000 volts (fully charged)
MESA 1A & 1B capacity, 1080 kW-hr (3.8 B Joules)
Equivalent of 2,000 auto batteries or 380,000 AA
Hardeson 1A (in-service, 2014)
Hardeson 1B (in service 2015)
MESA-2 at Everett, Vanadium-flow
Power=2200 kW, Capacity=8000 kW-hr
28.8 B Joules, equivalent to 3 million AA batteries or 15,000 auto
batteries
DC Voltage 480 (discharged) to 1,000 volts (fully charged)
Construction complete April 2017, acceptance July 2017
Housed in 20 standard-size shipping containers
 Hardeson Substation, 2015 Installation, Li-Ion
115kV circuit 115kV circuit

Substation
B.E.S.S.
Everett MESA-2, Flow Battery, 2017 Installation
String #1
String #2

String #4
String #3

Total installation is 2.2 MW, 8 MWhr

Housed on 20 ISO shipping containers

Four strings in parallel

Each string rated 550 kVA
Energy storage 2000 kWhr each string
BATTERY STORAGE – BLOCK DIAGRAM

Batteries

DC
AC Power
Conversion
System

3 phase AC power To utility source

 LI-ION BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE
Systems are scalable
 Small systems are fractional MW-hr
 Large systems up to 135 MW-hr
Available from numerous vendors
 GS-Yuasa, LG Chem, Tesla
Li-ion is very good for multiple charge-
discharge cycles
 Modules with daily charge-discharge can last 10
years or more
Very good efficiency and dynamic response
 MESA 1A EQUIPMENT
 Dedicated 12kV AC/DC Converter
circuit from Hardeson PCS-1A
switchgear goes to
MESA-1.
 Stepped down to 480 Switch
AC-1A
volts through
transformer K-366
 Disconnect switch AC-
1A provides isolation
 PCS1A converts AC
480 volts to DC 1000 Battery Container
volts and controls Transformer BAT-1A
power flow K-366

 PCS1A output goes to Control

the battery container Cabinet
 HARDESON - MESA 1B EQUIPMENT
 Second phase design
similar to first
 Battery vendor LG-Chem
 Completed Dec 2015
Battery Container BAT-1B

PCS-1B

AC-1B
Controller & relay cabinet Transformer K-367
 Site Layout

MESA 1A site physical arrangement. MESA 1A and 1B site physical configuration.

Power Conversion System (PCS)
Incoming power source is 480
volts AC
PCS converts to about 1000 volts
DC, depends on battery charge
Has inverters, capacitors,
inductors & fans
HMI panel and controls
PCS controls amount and
direction of power flow
PCS efficiency is 97.5% to 98.5%
if loaded between 20% and 100%
of rated
 Filter Capacitors &
Inductors

DC Contactors

DC Battery Power Connections

AC Connections and Breaker
HMI and
Controls Cabinet
Inverter
Power Stack
Battery Container
Left – interior of battery container
Below – exterior, north side
 Battery Container Overview
Contents:
• Li-ion battery modules
• Chiller & air handler
• Fire suppression
• DC manual switch
• DC contactors and fuses
• HMI showing status and
condition
 Chiller
DC Connection
Cabinet
Battery Container HMI

Air Handler

Battery Racks DC Switch

Lithium-Ion Battery Modules
A module is built from 12 or
28 individual cells
Cell voltage ranges from 3 to
4V
Built-in monitoring for
individual cell voltage, current
and temperature
Approximately 80lbs
Design lifetime is 10-13 years
Battery Connections in Container
Battery container holds 240 lithium-ion
modules in series/parallel combination
Each module operates at around 50 volts, 20
modules in a series string
Twelve parallel strings provide capacity
Each string is fused and has a disconnect
Round-trip efficiency is approximately 88%.
Capable of many charge/discharge cycles
BATTERY SERIES/PARALLEL STRINGS
11

S
S
9

S
S
7

S
S 5

S
S
3

S
S

S
S

12

S
S

10

S
S

S
S

S
S

S
S

S
S

+ 20-19-18-17-16-15-14-13-12-11-10-9- 8 - 7 - 6 - 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1 -
terminal terminal
 Control Cabinet Layout

Doosan HMI

Comm
gateway

Relays
Meters SEL-751
ION 8650
Test
Switches
MESA-1 (Li-Ion) System, Round Trip Efficiency

Source:
PNNL Report 27237
MESA-1, An Assessment of
Battery Technical Performance
January 2018
 Li-Ion SYSTEMS IN CALIFORNIA

Tehachapi Battery Energy

Storage System
Energy Capacity: 32 MW-hr
Above Left: SDGE, Escondido 120 MW installation

Right: Li-Ion modules in Tehachapi

 Li-Ion SYSTEMS AT OTHER UTILITIES Below: EnergyLab Nordhavn
Copenhagen, Denmark

Above Left: Tesla Li-Ion batteries at Kauai solar farm

Right: BESS in Minster, OH

Flow Batteries – VRB, ICB, ZNBR
Types of flow batteries:
Vanadium Redox flow, best for large utility-
scale applications
Iron-Chromium flow batteries, available for
telecomm equipment backup at 5kW for 3
hours. There is research into larger-scale
systems.
Zinc-Bromine flow batteries, tested on
trailers for portable 1 MW, 3 MW-hr
storage systems. High energy density, but
expensive.
Advantage: Systems can be optimized
for their particular use case. Adding
more electrolyte increases energy
storage amount.
 Vanadium Flow Battery Description
The positively charged catholyte and a
negatively charged anolyte are
circulated through the flow battery by
pumps.
H+ ions flow through the ion exchange
membrane which separates positive
from negative side.
Charging or discharging occurs only
when the liquid electrolytes are
flowing. Once the pumps stop, this
battery is inactive.
Power rating is determined by battery
Cathode:
Anode:
size, energy rating by the volume of
Cell: electrolyte.
MESA-2 Installation at Everett Substation
MESA-2 Installation, 2017
 Everett station, has 5
breaker ring bus and two 28
MVA transformers
 Energy storage cost estimate
= $11.2M
 20 ISO shipping containers
 8,000 kWhr storage
 2,200 kW power rating
 Operates at 283 volts,
stepped up to 12,470 volts
One Battery String

Manufactured by
Uni-Energy Technologies
in Mukilteo, Washington
(425) 290-8898

www.uetechnologies.com
Battery Physical Arrangement
A skid consists of three battery stacks in
Electrolyte series. There is one skid per container.
tanks There are fifty cells in each stack, the stack
voltage ranges from 40-80 volts while
operating.
Two circulating electrolyte solutions
(positively charged catholyte and a negatively
charged anolyte) are contained in large tanks
at the back of each container.
The charging and discharging occurs while
the liquid electrolyte is flowing through the
battery cells. Minimal charging or
discharging occurs if the flow has stopped.
The electrolyte tanks act as a large heat sink,
preventing overheating of the battery stacks
Electrolyte and the individual cells within them.
circulation Physical separation of cells/stacks and
electrolytes also helps avoid thermal run-
3-Stack Skid away.
MESA-2 Container Delivery
MESA-2 Electrolyte Filling
MESA-2 Battery Containers
Battery Stacks
 Three stacks per container, 50 cells per stack
 0.8-1.6 VDC per cell, 40-80 VDC on a stack
 Built-in monitoring for individual stack
voltage, temperature, pressure
 Containers Series Connected to get 1000 Volts DC
Each container has from
120-240 VDC.
Four containers in series
to obtain from 480-1000
VDC in one string.
Contactors isolate a
container in event of
trouble.
Four strings paralleled
to get 2.2 MW capacity.
Power Conversion and tie to the AC Power System

PLC for
control

HMI readout
DC to AC conversion
 Safety Considerations Pump
Electrolyte
 Battery energy in separate anolyte and Tank 2
catholyte tanks (homogeneous mixture)

 No thermal runaway is possible - all cells

share the same electrolyte +
 Mixing both electrolyte tanks together
produces a temperature increase of
approximately 15 degrees C Outlets for Multiple Inlets for multiple
multiple half cells Electrolytic half cells
 Only 2% of system energy is in the cell Cells
stacks at any time
 Shorted stack produces no lasting damage
 No thermal runaway in shorted cells is -
possible, unlike solid state cells

Electrolyte
Tank 1
(homogeneous mixture) Pump
 Vanadium Flow Batteries, Small Systems

Avalon batteries tied to solar UET Reflex system, made from

array, 40kW-hr modules 10 kW, 20kW-hr modules

Vanadium flow battery

factory in Dalian China
NaS TYPICAL INSTALLATION
 NaS BATTERY INSTALLATIONS
In 2013, a 4 MW NaS battery system was installed by PG&E at Yerba
Buena, located on the HGST property in the San Jose foothills. A similar
2MW NaS system was installed at Vaca Dixon. Batteries supplied by
NGK, auxiliary equipment by S&C.
In 2013, BC Hydro commissioned a 1 MW, 6 MWhr NaS battery system
in Fields, BC. Primary purpose was to increase reliability to the remote
area.
In 2005, AEP installed a 1.2 MW NaS system in North Charleston WV.
Success with that pilot project led them to install several 2 MW, 7.6
MWhr systems at Bluffton OH, Churubusco IN, and Balls Gap, WV.
Original prototype NaS battery developed by NGK in Japan, and
installed by Tokyo Electric (TEPCO) in 1992. TEPCO now has 65 MW
power capacity with 460 MWhr energy storage installed on their
system.
 NaS ENERGY
STORAGE AT
A.E.P.

Forty modules, 50 kW ea
Total power 2 MW, Stored energy 7.6 MWhr
Charged voltage = 780V,
Discharged voltage = 465V
Reactive -2MVAR to +2MVAR
System rated from -30o to +40o C
Cell operating temp 300o-355o C
Cells must be maintained at 300o C or they will
freeze
Cells can be frozen up to ten times with no
capacity loss
NaS Battery Installations

Left:
NaS system
In Santa
Catalina, CA
NaS WIND FARM INSTALLATION IN
ROKKASHO, JAPAN, 2008
 Ni-Cad Battery, Golden Valley Electric Association
 Nickel-Cadmium (NiCad) batteries were patented
by Thomas Edison in 1906.
 GVEA installed a large BESS using NiCad batteries
near Fairbanks, Alaska in 2003.
 The NiCad batteries were manufactured by Saft in
Oskarschamn, Sweden.
 The BESS has 13,760 battery cells. Each battery
weighs approx. 165 pounds.
 Batteries have an anticipated life of 20-30 years.
 ABB supplied the AC/DC power converter, and
provided primary design and controls engineering.
 Can provide 25 MW for 15 minutes (6.25 MW-hr).
During a test of its maximum limit, it discharged 46
MW for five minutes.
 This BESS project cost approximately $35M and
won the Electric Power Research Institute
Technology Award.
 NiCad batteries are falling out of favor due to
toxicity of cadmium.
 HISTORICAL LEAD-ACID B.E.S.S. INSTALLATIONS

 10 MW, 40 MW-hr, 1988, SCE in Chino CA

 10 MW, 15 MW-hr, 1993, Hawaii Electric
Co.
 20 MW, 14 MW-hr, 1994, Puerto Rico
 3 MW, 4.5 MW-hr, 1995, Vernon CA
 1.2 MW, 1.2 MW-hr, 1997, 25 mi from
Ketchikan, AK
 Control of Energy Storage Systems
The battery bank is monitored for
State of Charge (SoC), which is related
to the voltage.
The PCS will adjust the DC voltage to
either push energy into the battery, or
withdraw energy from the battery.
Rate of charging and discharging must
be monitored to avoid reduction in
battery life.
 1Energy Controller
System control and charging /
discharging cycles operated by
1Energy control platform.
Pre-programmed cycles for
charge and discharge, also can
discharge on-demand.
1Energy control communicates
to PCS and battery, ties to our
SCADA system.
 Energy Storage Aids Generation Mix
SnoPUD generation is 85% hydro, 9% nuclear, 6% wind,
and < 1% coal & natural gas. Although hydro has storage,
it must be operated to maintain river flows.
Most renewable energy sources such as solar and wind
don’t have reliable production patterns.
Energy Storage Helps Manage
Imbalance Between Forecast & Actual
 COMPARING ENERGY STORAGE OPTIONS
Capital Maint. Efficiency Energy Recharge Dynamic
Cost Cost Density Time Response
Pumped Hydro Medium High 70-85% Good Fair 3 min

Compressed Air Low Low 42-55% Very good Fair 10 min

Flywheel Low Medium 85-90% Fair Excellent millisec

Battery, Lead-Acid Medium High 60-80% Very good Good millisec

Battery, Lithium-Ion High Low 65-85% Very good Excellent millisec

Battery, Na-S High Medium 75-80% Very good Very good millisec

Flow battery, Medium High 65-70% Excellent Good millisec

Vanadium
Ultra-capacitor High Low Used with Fair Excellent millisec
batteries
Storage System Operational Uses

Source –
SCE White Paper,
“Moving Energy
Storage from
Concept to Reality”
Picture at left:
Jackson Hydro Plant
Sultan, WA

Snohomish County PUD

Steve Larson
SLLARSON@SNOPUD.COM
(425) 783-5576